Parkland: Aftermath of an Assasination

Zac Efron stars as Dr. Jim Carrico, a doctor that tried to save President Kennedy, in the new film “Parkland.”

Fifty years ago, John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. His death is one of the most tragic deaths in American history. The new film “Parkland” shows the point of view of the people that experienced the tragedy, including the Parkland Hospital staff, the Secret Service, the F.B.I., Abraham Zapruder, and Robert Oswald.

What I liked about “Parkland” was that, unlike “JFK,” there are no conspiracy theories involved about Kennedy’s death. The film portrays the immediate aftermath of the actual shooting and the next three days that followed. Surprisingly, Apraham Zapruder (Giamatti) feels like the main character out of the whole cast as a large portion of the film covers Zapruder and the F.B.I. trying to develop the infamous “Zapruder film.”

The film is quite historically accurate with clothing, cars, scenery all having an early 1960s charm to it and filming on location at Dealey Plaza feels very authentic. The films cinematography feel quite ironic, as the film’s visuals are bright and colorful with such a depressing subject of Kennedy’s assassination. One notable thing is that Jack Ruby, the man who killed Lee Harvey Oswald, is nowhere to be seen in this film. I find it odd that such a major figure like Ruby is not in the film at all feels almost incomplete. Another odd omission is J.D. Tippit, the police officer who was killed by Oswald, is excluded from the film.

Overall “Parkland” is an excellent political thriller. My only major complaint is that Jack Ruby and J.D. Tippit are strangely excluded from this film. If you’re the kind of person who loves conspiracy theories than this film is not for you because the film does not touch upon them, which is the films intention as it is not the point of the film. “Parkland” gets a 4 out of 5 stars. You can pick up “Parkland” on DVD, Blu-Ray, Netflix, and on the iTunes Store.